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Seeking Real Jedi Training

((Repost from old Jedi Academy Online Website. Will see more of these as I save and transfer information over to the new site.))

When I first poked around the Jedi Community in 1995 I was hoping to find a Jedi Master. In 1997 and especially in 1999 I figured twenty years was surely long enough from someone to have lived as a Jedi and be able to pass it on to me. It may go without saying, but I was extremely disappointed. Most were kids like myself. Some placing themselves in Master positions because there was no one to say otherwise. Those originally inspired by Star Wars seemed to have gone off to other paths and were too busy endorsing those. Be Taoist, Buddhist, Wiccan, join the Freemasons, for people like myself no Jedi existed. I did my duties, my due diligence. I studied the other philosophies and religions. I looked into becoming a Stoic. I was given the chance to join a Buddhist Temple. Comparative Studies was not something I shied away from. In the end I simply wanted to be a Jedi and no other path fulfilled that desire.

Which is why I have built this place. Real Jedi Training. Not the Tao te Ching with Star Wars terminology (no matter how much I may enjoy the Tao of Yoda). What we are looking at here is the experience of myself and several others who have endeavored to live our lives as Jedi. Every day we wake up and approach the world as Jedi Knights. Using our inspiration to help us navigate the world and seek betterment, both within ourselves and outwardly. It has not been without its obstacles and hiccups, but that is the joys of a young path. We have the foundations, not the masterworks. You get the foundational teachings. Solid ground for you to build from. What we offer here is nearly twenty years of experience with all that other junk to help support us. What junk you might ask? Philosophy major, certified meditation instructor, personal trainer, reiki certification, and so on. All irrelevant when it comes to the Jedi, but people like their established certifications. Personally I like to highlight 17 years survived in the Jedi Community. Leadership roles, Academic roles, online and offline in both positions. Certified with various organizations within the Jedi Community. But if you are concerned about specifics feel free to ask directly.

Material is the cornerstone of any organization. What do we offer? What do we teach? What is our teaching style? That is what will determine its true worth and value. Our Tier One Program is open for all. The curious, the skeptical, the earnest, anyone and everyone. Take a look at what we present and decide for yourself if you find it of any value. Oh. Where might you find it? Here.

Our focus isn’t some delusional approach. Star Wars is fictional. That is not a question. We understand where George Lucas drew his inspiration. We have studied that. But the Jedi has tied together a lot of lingering concepts and approaches uniquely as its own path. Like many paths it is similar. There are many similarities, just as there are differences. Buddhism and Taoism are two different paths, similar, but different. Islam and Christianity share similarities and differences. We have taken this path seriously and lived by it for the better part of our lives. It has made a positive difference in our lives. And we are simply offering that experience so others may learn from our pitfalls and successes.

So if you are seeking Jedi Training – just join our forums and jump in. There is no special code or special oath required. You want to be a Jedi? Then get to it. No better time to start then now.

Sufis are who inspired George Lucas in Tunisia. Right down to the robes, the master and apprentices angle, the lifestyle, the philosophy and even the insignia. Hell Tattooine is a real place in Tunisia. Sufism is what they practice and you can look it up for its origins and influences, you will be lucky if you meet a real Sufi in person; they are the rarest of the rare. They dress the way Jedi’s do, to this very day but mostly they are hidden in plain sight.

That is incorrect in all ways. George Lucas has never gone on record and said that. He has cited what his inspirations are, that was not one of them. The outfits (robes) are different. A filming location doesn’t mean anything, especially since Tattooine isn’t a “Jedi Planet”. The symbols are different. The Jedi will always have similarities, but the differences are just as important.

DEADP00L

And yet Tattooine is a real place in Tunisia, Star Wars was filmed in Tunisia; the symbol/insignia is virtually the same, the concept of letting go, knowledge, feeling energy, strict meditation, interpreting/studying mindsets and dreams, standing for truth and being guardians of peace and love are all of the many tenants of Sufi teachings, hell they even have Masters, apprentices with different ranks and Grand Masters. They call their groups “Sufi Orders” and they reside in temples with shrines; you only have to visit one of their shrines to see where Lucas found a lot of inspiration. Note I am not saying it was his only inspiration, everybody knows thats not how inspiration works; but he even filmed in an area in Spain full of Sufi shrines and orders when he filmed Ep2 and when TFA was filmed it was in a specifically historical place that houses Sufi relics. Could all that be coincidence? Who knows. But to cancel outright any notion that these similarities are stunning and correlate would be intellectually dishonest.

Or it could be grasping at straws and seeing connections where there are none (since again, insignias are not similar, nor robes, apprenticeships are found in many traditions including the arts, and concepts of peace are hardly the work of a singular group) . Especially since the exact same has been said for Taoist traditions. Buddhist Traditions. Certain Monasteries in Europe. Me? My intellect prefers to go with the verifiable evidence rather than theories that have no basis in reality outside a person’s conjecture.

But whatever. It obviously matters to you that Sufi is the source. So have fun with that. I find it lacking and inaccurate.

DEADP00L

I urge you to look up Sufism in the encyclopaedia from Princeton university one of the leading scholarly works by some of the most renowned historical and theological collections of spiritual thought.

655 pages of knowledge on the subject and BTW, two of the scholars who did this research – were Buddhist, Jewish and Taoist. If you want to argue on that with them, they are in their 70’s and have been working on this particular subject matter for 40 years. You’ll forgive me if I prefer to take the word of the actual scholars who make such things their life’s work.

The monologue Anakin gives to Padme about what is central to a Jedi’s life is word for word in sufi teachings. Attachment, love, letting go, no fear of death, etc etc. Also look up Essential Teachings of Rumi lecture on youtube if you’re open to it and you will be amazed at what Rumi’s own master taught him and inspired him to become.

You may think I am grasping at straws and do not know why. Your denial of their own practices, their attire and their own insignia is bizarre to me; when I myself have seen them with my own eyes; and when all you have to do is search for the various Sufi orders and you will find the one I am talking about on google. If you are coming at this with bias I cannot help you, but to outright deny and call this all reaching for straws is not even remotely objective. Do you have a problem with Sufis? Are you offended somehow by their existence? Or is the fact that they are Sufis and therefore part of a religious order you particular don’t care for that impedes you from opening your mind?

Its completely logical that the time Lucas spent in all those places he’d be influenced by the people, Jakku is a real middle eastern place, Tattooine, Jedda, Mustafar, Al-Deran, all real places all over the north African and ME regions; hell there is a certain character whose name is a real name for a very well known ancient Syrian scholar, I do not know why this bothers you. I’m Jewish and I am utterly fascinated by it all. Why would that be grasping at straws when its very clear Lucas was inspired by African cultures, African people and the Middle East?

Ah internet culture. I do not miss it. Lets clear some things up.
1.) Correlation does not equal causation. Which is the basis of your argument. It is a logical fallacy.
2.) Again, there is a record of inspiration by the creator. Sufi is not among them. And I refer to number one, once again.
3.) Disagreement does not equal Ignorance. Another stance you put forward. Because I disagree I must not know? Another fallacy. And even if I were ignorant – We have a great tool for research. It provides no evidence of your claims of exactly the same. And while that doesn’t dismiss your arguments to does help shape them.
4.) Another fallacy – Appeal to Authority. Believing an authority on a subject is infallible.
5.) You threw in a nice ad hominem attack there. Suggesting some sort of cultural basis because I stated that the first two points (correlation/causation and the creator stating otherwise).
6.) As I said. You obviously need this. This is a truth you must have. But that is another fallacy – just because you want it to be true doesn’t mean it is. But whatever helps you sleep at night. I acknowledge similarities. But again I refer you to number one.

Your argument here is done. You have presented your view. You have presented your facts. You have presented your case. I do not agree. I find it reaching and grasping at straws. Playing connect the dots with the stars. Meh. Who cares? It is a small matter. Believe what you will. I’ll stick to what George Lucas said inspired him.

DEADP00L

You just canceled out everything I said without even addressing any of it. Essentially, you;’re right no matter what because you made up your mind long before you even started talking to me. All the while insulting me for taking the time to pour my heart out. Yeah if you hate the internet, best to stay out of it.

There was no ‘internet culture’ here, you were talking to a person. You’d make one lousy Jedi.

Michael O’Meara

I would never go to the dark side of the Force but there is many people who are interested in the dark side of the Force